2017_01_15 Still slogging on.....

2017_01_15   Since last update wiring, rebuilding points track laying!

Last Thursday was ALDAY and we laid out the rest of Wodonga. Although we got into trouble with the turntable. First, I dropped the table and broke the bridge power pick up tower.I did not know the bridge was just sitting in the deck, and when I turned it upside down, it fell a few inches to base board. It is heavy and the mast shattered. Fixable and I can build an Aussie version out of H girder like the Wodonga one was.
Programming it has been interesting. It keeps throwing up an error, I will have to search google and see how others have managed.
So whilst Al continued on with track laying, I tried to keep ahead of him. We used brand new Shinohara code 70 points, but they were DC versions, and each one needed to be upgraded to DCC compatibility.  Easy enough, just time consuming. However it is a cheap way of getting points. I  recently picked these all up on E-Bay  in a bulk deal for less than $6 a point :D
Pictures?
Ok lets start things off....

Useless instructions hindered and caused more problems than helped to solve.

I have finished mods to third point "just in time" Al started on underlay, and we both got the turn table to sit flat. However cutting holes for the locating pins, was not helpfull. Now the deck sits too low and we had to lift the table to sit it higher to line up the rails. The holes need shifting. They are not all 113 mm apart most are but two are at 110mm  and 112mm. To line up with the two roads I need to recut a new set of holes, or better still snip off the lugs, which seem only useful if you are using a Walthers engine shed??

 Wodonga had two roads to the turn table (highest pair)  But I have moved the carriage sheds to this end of layout, mainly because I had little room to place them where they should have been.

Lining up the turn table was difficult. The instructions were not that helpful.

Carriage shed will go here and I will use a two track version of Stuarts car shed here.
 Walker Models  http://modeltrainbuildings.com.au/

Al has a go at lining up the turn table. Nice job on the underlay(ing) and track laying pal :D

So where am I?  Well after a couple of weeks of laying on my back under the layout, upgrading wiring (fixing problems) I got to sit down. My job was to build all the circuits up, and prepare the point motors. The untidy work table is not helping, I guess.

I am always looking for something...Oh!  Don't you just love the signals 👀

Unfortunately we had to move the track on the bridge and fix the piers. Al got this done too. Workaholic!

 What was I looking for?? distracted , forgotten?  Oh well back to the work table.

Ok, green box on floor has servo motors mounted in a special cast bracket that Roger Lloyds friend Tony, cast up for me. Should order some more.
Here I am cutting out the sleepers under the ends of the frog, where the blades attach. I have to remove a connection here that causes a direct short. I will solder some circuit board ties to replace the ones I have cut out.

Gently break out the sleepers and usually the brass connector comes away easily, If not help it with soldering iron, and de-solder the rail to enable a half rail joiner to be pushed on to hold point blades in place.

Cut away the extra sleepers at each end of point (3)  Then de-solder metal joiners holding blades together. Remember which blade goes where, because they are different. I didn't get a shot, but I then use a long circuit board sleeper cut down to size, and drilled out and insulated with a shallow cut each side. Insulate at different places and not over the hole drilled for the point machine. Invites shorts and weakens circuit board. I simply push the blades into joiner making sure they move freely, and then soldered to the throw bar. Test to make sure you can move the bar from side to side and blades align perfectly.  Solder wires to track red and black need to be placed on correct sides. Place point in its position and note which rail is black. Solder accordingly.  White wire has to go to frog. But that is covered in plastic on bottom. However these DC points have connections built in linking both inner rails to the rails heading towards the blades. Simply cut gaps on the blade side of the frog, and use insulated joiners when connecting rails to this end of the points Solder the white frog wire to one or both (they are internally linked) of the middle rails that will be insulated and join the white wire to your juicer or point machine which will switch the power to frog, to match the way the road is aligned.
Test the points make sure that no shorts are left in system. I always solder the red and black wires to the outside rails but link them to the next closest rail which forms the diversion road.
I also use fine wire to link the point blades directly to the red and black feeders. This should guarantee power is always available to them, Sometimes corrosion or white glue will insulate blades over time.

Cheap fascia mounts from Tam Valley are recessed stopping clothing from snagging the point buttons. Simply glued together and attached to Singlet point controller

Simply attach the controller to the mount Test and put aside till I can buy the correct size hole saw. Then I simply pull that screw out, place fascia mount in hole and align circuit board and tighten screw to ensure buttons are free. 4 screws in mount secures it to fascia.

oops!  Better get back to the points. Alday is fast approaching!
Oh and I should mention that I had a visitor Saturday as well (I am indeed blessed)

 ADDENDUM

Graeme Schulz has come up with a way to cover the corners. I had some board cut up to size and now we are working out how to secure it in place. The problem is that whilst it hides track we dont want in scene, it makes it difficult to  re rail trains, (and clean track of course) if the worst happens.

Ok so just sitting for effect The lower sheet will match the top sheet. Allow trains or track to be accessed from a stool.

We decided to cover the brickwork with dry wall (plaster) between the piers top and bottom. 

So my job is to knock up a frame and fit it so that drywall can be screwed on to help secure the corners, and further cut down on the dust.

Looks like the TV will have to go. And I will use the wall to move the power boards to a better more convenient place.

Sheet was cut a little high. Will need to cut it down and sit it back about a foot and a half  :)

It actually hides the layout as you come through the door. I like that.

Again sheets were not correct height. But an easy fix. Even in white you can see how it changes the look of the corner.

Carefully matching the scenery and layering the back boards should help this scene immensely . Dry wall on the bottom, relocated power boards and an untidy area is safely hidden away. Always mindfull, that this old bloke does not want to climb underneath any more than he has to.
Cheers
Rod Young

2017_01_08 Still clearing table top!

2017_01_08  Finding homes for stuff as I clean down the benches!

Filling plastic bins as I find homes for stuff cluttering up the table tops. Making good progress too.

Exciting thing today was seeing my N Class and D3 run with sound for the first time.
Thanks Gerry, I hate taking you away from your own models, but I feel privileged that you can help me.

The N Class and the D3 are destined for here :D

Gerry thought the N Class was a badly built engine. It figures as it was an Alco, whilst the D3 was a BGM, which were the best models of that time.
Cheers
Rod

2017_01_04 Clean Up Day

2017_01_04  Cleaning up and preparing for the next job, which is fixing the wiring in the Coal Siding.
Then laying track towards Albury.

So today I was able to sit and calmly sort through all the stuff laying on top of the layout, finally :)

So to allow the wiring to be tested here at the Coal Siding, I had to clean it all down. I did find a home for most of it, some found the bin, most found a plastic bin, with similar stuff, to help with finding it when it is needed.

The rest found a place here. Part sorted, just need to work out what I should do with old epoxy models, that have become brittle, and probably need stripping of couplings and wheels and binning.

Tomorrow we had to cancel ALDAY , mainly because although I forgot why only remembering next Thursday was going to be out of action, I remembered why in the finish.
I have an appointment with my Eye Surgeon, and its time for another needle, which should stop me going blind in my left eye. Any wonder why I am going to try to forget this day, which comes much too quickly every couple of months. Mind you the treatment does work, No pain no gain?
Cheers
Rod

2017_01_03 Happy New Year Folks!

2017_01_03 Spent a few days socialising  and even had some time to start sorting stuff out and boxing it to get it clear of the next work spaces.

Ok its not perfect, however I have my work bench back. All the boxes at left of and the ones underneath are sorted or binned.
Going to set my desktop computer up here as it seems to handle decoder pro better than my new laptop, which just does not like the PR3 drivers.

What is junk?  Probably save the containers and a few NSW wagons. The 80 footers are not worth saving. Very brittle.

Even so, a lot of stuff has found a home.

The temporary bench (over a year?) is gradually cleaning down, using this cleared spot to sort through boxes of stuff.

Finally got everything to do with DCC conversions in one box. Resistors, LED's, speakers and boxes, silent and sound decoders.... etc etc.

So I blurred this one ugh!  But this is a shinohara DC point that needs converting for DCC. The two nickel silver joiners linking the point blades will become a dead short and need to be removed.
To do that I need a drill..... Drill out the two staples and the blades fall out free and so does the throw bar. Remove remains of rivets and then you need to replace the connectors exactly with a long  circuit board sleeper. Solder to the circuit board copper and then cut a gap in the copper to insulate the rails. Drill a hole to allow point machine to connect and throw the points back and forwards.

See the brass bar on RHS? this also is a short. I drilled out the rivet, and found it was permanently attached to the sleepers moulded to the rails. So I used a large drill and removed the remains of the rivet and opened up the hole almost as wide as the strip. I then used a sharp, cutting plier to cut it top and bottom and create an insulation gap.

 
The next job was to isolate the frog by cutting through both middle rails. I will now have to wire the frog up to match whichever polarity is required as the point motor switches the points. I can use the switch on the point motor, or I can use an electronic frog juicer.

Well thats about as far as I got.
The air conditioner maintained 24C and it was much better than last year, for sure.
Cheers
Rod

2016_12_31 One last time!

2016_12_31   For the last time this year, another productive day!

Al returned for some more punishment, I am afraid :(
Hope you were relaxed and your back was better by the time you got to Corowa, mate.

Anyway whilst I kept the soldering iron hot and the solder runny, Al went back and finished Thursdays job.
Here is the fruit of his labors.

South end of Wodonga yard is freelanced and allows for a bit more storage in a narrow space.

Unfortunately the ladder was not going to work, so we left the double slip out, and removed the main line points leading to the ladder further South. It looks interesting and rolling stock tracks through just fine.

All track in place.

Please ignore the vehicles that obviously would never visit this siding account of gauge difficulties.

Thanks Al. I enjoyed your company as always, and appreciate your sore back , mate
Cheers
Rod Young

2016_12_30 Another year almost under the belt, lets get a head start on the New Year!

2016_12_30  Hooray!! Quarry siding is working!! But where are the trains?

Ok Al wants to do more work tomorrow, and I promised to leave Wodonga for him. He is a glutton for punishment. But Thank you mate, we all know you are getting me moving again :D

So I am started at the quarry and moving towards the wheat siding near Helix. Tidying up the wires ensuring all are connected. Along the way I found 15m of straight track without droppers, so I am adding those and cleaning the underlay and base board as I go. As usual a 40 minute job turns into an all day sucker!

The BG closest to the pliers has not had droppers installed. So as I move towards the helix, I am adding droppers, connecting all wires where they should be (connected) and cleaning down the bench as I go.

I find it easier to add droppers to all track on the bench. Here I join the droppers underneath the fish plates. I solder the fish plate lightly to the rail as well. That gives a friction connection forward and a soldered connection behind. Every length of rail and every point is treated in this way.

push the rail into fish plates, gap it and tack sleepers temporarily to base board. Adjust if sleepers bend. Drill holes beside rail and push feeders through and connect them to the proper bus lines underneath.

adjust track to existing SG track with a track gauge and tack it down.

Black and red wires to DCC bus Link outside rails and also point blades. Made a mistake with this lot because the blade wires should be thinner. I run the risk of jamming the points, because the wire beds itself into the foam underlay. I might have time to modify these before Al comes tomorrow to install them.
  I guarantee electrical contact with any track that is to be ballasted and sealed into a fixed position.  This point is now fail proof, I hope ;)

And it does not look modified once the droppers are passed through the baseboard, and visible cables are blackened and ballast applied.

Cheers
Rod

2016_12_29 ALDAY ;)

2016_12_29  Track laying , completing repairs and running a train about "Kilmore East" Quarry.

Well at least we laid a fair bit of track, however got no point motors affixed. I did have to rewire every point though, and remembered to remove the dc links as well.

Talking about DC links on electrofrog points? Guess what caused the short on the diamond crossing?
Took two weeks out of my work and cost me a lot of grief.

I thought I had just picked up a working junction and moved it 6 feet down the track.
Somehow I used a rail converter (75 to 100) that I had either insulated in the original install, or somehow replaced it with a new one and not remembered.
Because I found this after burning out my frog juicers this morning.

 And so here was the problem. I forgot they had bridges, and simply expected it to work here because it worked before.
Everything fine now. Cost ? One $70 juicer and a hell of a lot of frustrated time wasted  :(

All tracks powered and working ok.

 Whilst I sorted out the crossover. Al fixed the wheat silo siding.

Next job was to start work on the Wodonga Yard. Whilst Al started to lay track, I modified the 7 points and set up the new wiring.

A little bit harder on the lower level, my guess is that Maureen might need to massage my mates back a little when he reaches home . Thanks mate, you are the reason I keep this thing going I sometimes think :)

The two points to right are installed, and the one joining into existing main line points is also installed. All made more difficult by timber supports underneath. But Al got there. Only the double slip and two more points to go in before connecting in 4 store roads at this end.
Then on to the turntable side!

Cheers
Rod